Blue Origin delays New Glenn return to flight to January 2027

The new target

The company had pledged to fly New Glenn again before the end of 2026. CNBC reported the January window is about 10 days later than its earlier launch target. In October, Jeff Bezos told Fox News the company was aiming for a December launch, joking that it could be "probably December 31st."

Limp described the change as a small adjustment. "This small adjustment doesn't diminish what we've accomplished or the importance of the work still ahead," he wrote in the memo, according to CNBC and the Financial Times. The memo said returning New Glenn to flight remains the company's top priority. The Financial Times first reported the delay. Blue Origin declined to comment.

Six months of repairs

New Glenn exploded during a routine engine test on 28 May at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, Space.com reported. The blast destroyed the rocket and badly damaged Blue Origin's only New Glenn pad, according to The Next Web. Limp said bad summer weather slowed the rebuild, which has taken six months. In June, Blue Origin said it had not found the cause. Space.com reported Blue Origin has been working to rebuild the pad and get New Glenn ready for its fourth flight, which had been expected late this year.

Amazon and NASA wait on New Glenn

New Glenn had been due to carry 48 Amazon Leo internet satellites on its next flight, The Next Web reported. The FCC has already cut Amazon's spectrum priority for satellites that launched late. New Glenn is also meant to launch Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander, which NASA plans to use to land astronauts on the Moon under Artemis. Space.com reported Blue Moon is one of two private vehicles NASA selected as crewed lunar landers for Artemis; the other is SpaceX's Starship.

Three flights so far

New Glenn has flown three times, each in the 7x2 configuration, Space.com reported. The rocket debuted in January 2025, launched again in November 2025 and flew on April 19 this year. The three flights span about 15 months. On the April mission, New Glenn deployed AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 communications satellite into the wrong orbit, and the spacecraft was lost. The Next Web reported the rocket is years behind schedule. Space.com reported the 7x2 version is 322 feet tall, can haul 14.3 tons to geostationary transfer orbit and 50 tons to low Earth orbit, and uses seven BE-4 engines on its reusable first stage and two BE-3Us on its second stage. NASASpaceflight reported Blue Origin has been promoting an ambitious schedule for 2027 and beyond, with an increasing launch cadence and a new rocket variant.